Bangalore: A Hindu nazi govt. stage-managed show at Hyderabad on June 4, to counter the rising tide of public opinion that casteism is the founding father of racism, became a total flop in the face of Dalit fury.
Hyderabad: The Govt. of India’s stand on caste came in for criticism by many Dalit and voluntary organisations in the context of the Unsponsored Durban world conference against racial discrimination. They expressed their views at the public hearing held here on June 4 by the National Preparatory Committee of the conference headed by Justice Jagannatha Mishra. In their petitions, the SC/ST/BC organisations insisted that caste and race were “one and the same” in India, citing bonded labour and practice of untouchability as the manifestations of caste discrimination. The venue, Jubilee Hall, had banners and placards filled with anti-govt. slogans. The Union Minister of State for External Affairs, U.V. Krishnam Raju, had the inaugural function advanced by two hours and left the place soon after making a speech which, according to leaders of these organisations, was to avoid any possible gherao. John Dayal, Decentral of All-India Christian Council, argued that “caste is worse than racism”, Prof. K. llaiah of Osmania University and Paturu Ramaiah of. CPI(M) who heads the Committee for struggle Against Caste Discrimination, spoke. (Hindu, June 5, 2001).
It is learnt at this Hyderabad meeting that the Hindu rulers have drafted the services of Dr. Mumtaz Al Khan, who is running a Dalit NGO in Bangalore and Japhet, a Dalit Christian leader, to defend the Govt. of India’s stand that casteism is not racism. Devanoor Mahadeva has dropped out fearing Dalit fury.
